Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

क्षन्तव्यमिति चोक्त्वा च गतश्चादर्शनं पुनः । गते चैव तु सा कन्या दृष्ट्वा पद्मदलेक्षणा

Transliteration

kṣantavyamiti coktvā ca gataścādarśanaṃ punaḥ | gate caiva tu sā kanyā dṛṣṭvā padmadalekṣaṇā

Translation

ครั้นกล่าวว่า “ขอจงให้อภัย” แล้ว เขาก็อันตรธานหายไปอีกครั้ง และเมื่อเขาจากไปแล้ว หญิงสาวผู้มีนัยน์ตาดุจกลีบบัว ครั้นเห็นเหตุการณ์นั้น…

Word by Word

• क्षन्तव्यम्: (it) should be forgiven
• क्षन्तव्यम्: Kriya (Obligation/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्षम् (धातु) + तव्यत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive/ought to be forgiven), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/समाप्ति-बोधक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• उक्त्वा: having said
• उक्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) + त्वा (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• गतः: went
• गतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकालिक-कर्तरि कृदन्त (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अदर्शनम्: to invisibility / out of sight
• अदर्शनम्: Gati/Karma (Goal/Object/गति/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; गत्यर्थे द्वितीया (to invisibility)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriyavisheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरावृत्ति-बोधक-अव्यय (again)

• गते: when (he) had gone
• गते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकालिक-कर्तरि कृदन्त (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (when he had gone)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• तु: then / however
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अन्वय-अव्यय (particle)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• कन्या: the maiden
• कन्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + त्वा (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• पद्मदलेक्षणा: lotus-petal-eyed
• पद्मदलेक्षणा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पद्मदल + ईक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिवत् विशेषणार्थे प्रचलित-तत्पुरुष (पद्मदल-इक्षणम् यस्याः) विशेषण (कन्या)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual voice within Revā Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍava (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The rākṣasa says ‘forgive’ and dissolves into invisibility; the maiden with lotus-petal eyes stands stunned, looking around at the now-quiet riverbank as the divine assembly steadies the scene.

Characters & Entities

• kanyā (lotus-eyed maiden)
• rākṣasa (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The utterance of kṣamā (forgiveness) is highlighted as a dharmic pivot even amid crisis, preparing the ground for restoration and auspicious resolution.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader Revā/Narmadā sacred setting (Revā Khaṇḍa), though no single tīrtha is named in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse advances the narrative through the motif of forgiveness and disappearance.